Bhupen Khakhar’s painting to fetch around $750K in London auction

It was a painting that sent shockwaves when it was unveiled in a gallery in Mumbai in 1986. Bhupen Khakhar’s ‘Two Men in Benaras’ was the first work by an Indian artist that freely disclosed his sexual orientation. In this ‘confessional painting’, Khakhar painted himself entwined in a naked embrace with another man.

Now this painting is up for auction in a collection titled ‘Coup de Couer’in London, part of 30 works from Guy and Helen Barbier’s collection. The Swiss collectors are famous for assembling one of the most important collections of 20th century Indian art in private hands. While Khakhar’s work is estimated at 450,000-600,000 pounds, other artists whose work will be featured at the auction are MF Husain, Tyeb Mehta, Ram Kumar and Krishen Khanna.

In fact, Helen Barbier revealed that the collection was borne from the couple’s love of India and particularly its art. “It was a ‘coup de coeur’ which roughly translates to a shock to the heart but is a way of saying ‘love at first sight,’ or a stroke of passion.”.